A biopic, from impoverished Brooklyn roots, life-threatening rheumatic fever, to a meteoric rise to stardom, of the life and times of crooner Bobby Darin. Spacey, if totally miscast, gives an impassioned performance in this run of the mill story which he also directs.
find out more...

COAL MINER'S DAUGHTER (1980)

Certification15 Our Rating

Superb biopic of legendary country singer Loretta Lynn. Sissy Spacek, who incidentally has a belting voice, deservedly won the Best Actress Oscar for her moving portrayal of the naive Kentucky farm girl who became a singing superstar against all the odds, while Tommy Lee Jones is dynamite as her husband Doolittle. Beverly D'Angelo is also a revelation as Loretta's close friend, the late great Patsy Cline. An inspirational rags-to-riches story, only to be avoided if you have a strong aversion to
find out more...

I'M NOT THERE (2007)

Certification15 Our Rating

An intriguing premise; take Dylan's music as an inspiration and using six different actors (one a young black boy, another a woman) loosely re-enact his life from childhood to venerable and venerated troubadour of the 20th Century. The possibilities of ‘I'm Not There' going horribly wrong were always going to be high but Todd Haynes manages to pull off a fascinating, hypnotic, original tale of a living icon and while the performances, with out exception, are excellent, it is Kate Blanchett's tur
find out more...

JIMI: ALL IS BY MY SIDE (2014)

Certification15 Our Rating

Covering a year in Hendrix's life from 1966-67 as an unknown backup guitarist playing New York's Cheetah Club to making his mark in London's music scene up until his Monterey Pop triumph, the film presents an intimate portrait of the man behind the icon. And no, Andre 3000 doesn't ruin it.

find out more...

LA VIE EN ROSE (2007)

Certification12 Our Rating

A stunning dramatisation of the mesmerising life and ultimately tragic times of Edith Piaf, the ‘little sparrow'. The singer's life is beautifully evoked, as is the time, while Marion Cotillard in the central role is perfection. A moving and marvellous delight.....'Je ne regrette rien'.
find out more...

RAY (2004)

Certification15 Our Rating

A mesmerising dramatisation of one of the kings, Ray Charles. Unsurprisingly the soundtrack is pure bliss, but it is Jamie Foxx in the title role that pulls everything together, an hypnotic performance of a music legend, through all his highs and lows, and one of those increasingly rare examples of a leading actor Oscar that actually makes sense.
find out more...

SCOTT WALKER: 30 CENTURY MAN (2007)

Certification15 Our Rating

'Scott Walker: 30 Century Man' explores the man's music and career, from his early days as a jobbing bass player on the Sunset Strip, mega-stardom in Britain's swinging 60s pop scene and finally his transformation into a lyricist of true genius. Featuring interviews with friends, collaborators and fans including amongst others, David Bowie, Radiohead, Jarvis Cocker, Brian Eno, Damon Albarn and Neil Hannon. A fascinating portrait of the ultimate cult artist.
find out more...

TELSTAR (2008)

Certification15 Our Rating

Flamboyantly gay in a time when homosexuality was still outlawed, independant record producer Joe Meek, though tone deaf, drug addicted and famously paranoid, was responsible for a string of 1960s chart-toppers including 'Have I the Right', 'Just Like Eddie', 'Johnny, Remember Me' and 'Telstar'. This is a likeably quirky film that starts very well as a helter skelter comic biog but struggles to change tune as the ultimate tragedy of Meek's life finally takes hold. Odd, flawed, but well worth a
find out more...

WALK HARD: THE DEWEY COX STORY (2007)

Certification15 Our Rating

The legend that is Dewey Cox, a rock and roll god whose name is uttered in the same breath as Buddy Holly and Johnny Cash, a man who embraced hedonism more than most of his peers, but at heart was simple and kind. Idolised for his music and nearly destroyed by the many temptations such adulation brought, this is the myth, a subtle, beautifully performed, lushly visualised, cleverly scripted lampoon of every poe-faced, rose-tinted Oscar hungry biopic that's graced our screens over the last couple
find out more...

WALK THE LINE (2005)

Certification15 Our Rating

A brief skim over Johnny Cash's childhood in rural Arkansas and then we leap into his early career, powering along through the highs and lows until we reach 1968, a good time for the legendary balladeer and a perfect place to end a biog on a high note. Walk The Line is a film made by the two central performances of Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon. The live scenes are hypnotic and the chemistry between the two never less than utterly convincing. Like 'Ray' this is a film that smoothes over
find out more...